Elevating device



F. BEERS AND H. L. POWELL.

ELEVATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED Ausl?, 1920.

Lggzm, Patented .my I8, 192A 3 SHEES-SHEET l.

E. BEERS AND H. L. POWELL.

ELEVMLNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.27| 1920.

Patented. July L8, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. BEERS AND H. L. POWELL.

ELEVATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2T, 1920. 1422,8 l @o Patented July L8, 1922.. s sIIETs-sIIET 3.

FREDERICK RISERS, OE NEU-.T ROCHELLE, .AND HOV/'ARD L. ZPOELL, OF NEW- YORK, N. Y., SSIGNORS TO NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., .A COR- PORATON OF NEW JERSEY.

ELEVATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July i8, 1l22 To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, FREDERICK Bruns, a resident of ll ew Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, and Howixim L. POWELL, a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, both citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improved elevating devices adapted to raise trays or pans or other articles from one level to a higher one. The apparatus is particularly designed for lifting trays which are periodically brought into alignment with the lower end of the same, in the progression of the trays from apparatus in which cakes carried by the trays have been coated with icing or the like. The trays, as they arrive at the upper end of the elevating apparatus are further transported, in a horizontal direction, for further treatment in drying apparatus. lt will be evident, however, that our invention is adapted for use in many other connections.

Uur improved construction eliminates the use of chains as lifting devices because of certain difliculties which we have found to arise in the use of chain elevators. ln place of chains we provide vertical members carrying lifting lugs in vertical series, the lugs on one vertical member being in horizontal alignment withthe lugs on the other members. l/Vhen a tray arrives or is positioned at the foot of this device the lifting members are reciprocated a short distance up and again down. The tray referred to rises and wipes past supporting lugs on stationary members, these supporting lugs moving under the tray to support the same when the lifting lugs descend. As the lifting members descend, the lifting lugs of the set immediately above the ones just referred to, wipe past the tray which is supported on the supporting` lugs, these upper lifting lugs then moving into position beneath the tray so that on the next upward movement of the lifting elements these lugs will lift the tray from the supporting lugs on which the same is mounted to the neXt higher set of supporting lugs. ln this manner one or a plurality of trays, or other horizontally disposed articles, are raised for a desired distance through a succession of steps.

ln the preferred form of our device the articles to be lifted are carried into position to be lifted by an endless carrier or the like, the parts of the mechanism being so adjusted that the lifting mechanism will start into operation when a tray arrives in position to be lifted, this tray then being raised one step. The lifting mechanism then remains at rest until the next article to be lifted arrives in position whereupon the lifting elements are again raised and lowered. In the operation referred to it isassumed that the articles to be transported are positioned at pre-determined points on the carrier, which brings the same to the foot of the lifting de- VlCe. l

Our object is to provide improved devices of the character briey described above, as will be more fully described inthe following specification and pointed out in the accompanying claims.

ln order that our invention may be more clearly understood attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and illustrating one embodiment of our invention. In the drawings Fig. l represents a si do elevation of a lifting device embodying our invention, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same on an enlarged scale, Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, on an enlar ved scale and Fig. l represents an enlarged partial front elevation of lifting and supporting elements coacting with a series of trays.

Referring to the drawings, our improved lifting device comprises a frame having vertical members, preferably angle irons l, l, 2, 2. These are suitably connected together, by horizontal members 3, 3, il, 4 adjacent the lower end and similar horizontal members, such as those indicated at 5, adjacent the upper end.

The lifting members comprise vertical rods 6, of which four may be provided with rectangular objects such as trays or pans to be lifted. These rods 6 are mounted for vertical reciprocation, through slots 7 in bearing members provided in the transverse members 3 and 5.

Rods 6 are adapted to be raised and low ered a determined distance at intervals by any suitable mechanism, such for example as the eccentric mechanism. indicated. 1n the construction shown in the drawings eccenV tries 8 are mounted on shafts 9, 9 which shafts are rotated in unison at desired intervals. Rollers 10 are mounted between arms 11 secured to the lower ends of rods 6, these rollers bearing on the surfaces of eccentrics 8 so that the rods 6 will rise and fall each revolution of the ecceiitiics.v Counter weights 12 may be provided on shafts 9,

if desired, to counterl'ialance the ect-entries.l

Each of the rods 6 is provided with a series of vertically aligned, equally spaced, lugs 13. These lugsare so mounted and shaped that horizontally aligned ones of the same will fall or moveinto position beneath a tray to be raised, and when rods' 6 descend,

will be-wiped or moved to onesidefby engagement with the edges of a tray below the same. In the preferred 4form of construction each lug 13 is pivoted at=14, adjacentits lower end, to one side of rod 6.

The pivotal point of each lugfis adjacent its outer edge,` so that gravity tends to cause the lugs to swing inwardly as is indicatedin Fig. 2.. Flanges 15 are secured toer integral. with the outer surfaces of lugs 13,

flanges 15 having their outer edge portions` extending at right anglesto the planesV of lugs 13 sothat they willengage-the outer surfaces of rods 6 to -prevent lugs 13 from being so mounted as to Ibe wiped aside/byl rising Aarticles and'to move beneath the same.

after vthe articles have riseniabovethem. In our present construction these supporting means take the form of lugs 17 which are pivoted adjacent their upperends as indicated yat 18 to thefrods'16. Each supporting lug 17 hasva horizontal.supporting lsurface 19 extending horizontally inwardly i of the frainefandeach lugfi17 is provided with an inclined surface 20below the horizontal surface `19. Each `lug-17.- normally4 hangs vertically at `one-side of a iod16',

with the toe portion of the lug, the upperl surface of which vis indicated at-19,e1\;tend ingginwardly beyond the-inner edge of itsrod 16.

Whena ltraywhich is being lifted moves up .past a set of horizontally aligned ylugs 17,.theiedge sf of the tray contact againstthe vinclined edges 20 of the lugs 1wiping the same.l aside, lugs;V 17 swinging :back :into their .A tray which is being lifted rests on the surfaces 21 of a set of four horizontally aligned lugs 13. Lugs 13 are provided with inclined inner edges 22 which slope downwardly and-outwardly for a distance from the upper surfaces of the lugs so that when a lug 13 moves downwardly past a tray which is supported on surfaces 19 of lugs 17, the edges of the tray will ber wiped by the suifaces 22 of the adjacent lugs 13 so as to wipe or cani these lugs outwardly7 to enable the saine to move downwardly past the tray.

Counterweights 23 may be provided, if desired, to counter balance the lifting devices, these counterweights being supported by cables 24 extending around sheaves 25 the opposite ends ofthe cables being secured to the lugs 26 on rods 16.

Vertical guides 27 are provided for hold- 90 ing the trays or articles to be lifted in proper position-'during their upward movement, these guides being secured to ycross pieces 23 which extend betweenfthe two front vertical members 1 and the two rear vertical members 2, respectively.

Power for rotating the eccentrics 3 or other lifting means for lifting rods 6 may be derived from an electric motor 29 havingv a pinion 30 engaging a gear 31.v A belt 32 extends from a sheave on the shaft 31 of gear 31 to a large sheave 33 on shaft 34. tvheave 33 carries a member 35 of -a clutch device the other member 36 of which ris adapted to move into and out of connection with member 35 to cause the rotation of shaft 34 in alignment with the shaft 34 of .the sheave 33.

Spiral gears 36 on shaft 34 mesh with the corresponding gears 37 lon the shafts 9 of 110 eceentries 8.

Thevarrangement is such that the clutch will'be be operated periodically to rotate eccentrics-S through'one revolution whereupon the clutch will be uncoiipled. A disc 38 mounted on shaft 39is provided with a depression 40 in .its periphery. A lever 41 is pivoted` aty 42 and has a toe 43 adapted to engage in a groove 44 in theclutch ineinber 36. A spring 45 is connected to the 120 end of lever-41 opposite Afrom toe 43, this spring constantly tending to lift toe 43 from groove 44. A roller 46 is carried by upwardly extending arms 47 of lever-41, this ggller bearing against the periphery of disc Once every revolution of Ldisc 38 roller 46 rides into the depression: 40, permitting toe 43 torise out of groove 44 whereupon clutchV member 36 is moved by a 4spring 1L-ie (not shown) against clutch member 35 to couple shafts 34 and 34 together. The eccentrics 3 will now rotate for one revolution, as stated, to raise and again lower rods 6,' at the end of which time roller 46 moves out of depression 40 and toe 43 again moves downward, this toe being arranged to cam member 36 out of coupling engagement with clutch member 35 so as to stop the further rotation of eccentrics 8.

Shaft 39 is continuously rotated, for example by means of a sprocket chain 48 which runs over a sprocket wheel carried at the end of shaft 39 as is shown in Fig. 3. Sprocket chain 48 may be considered as operated by any convenient source of power.

Shaft 39 carries sprocket wheels 49 around which sprocket chains 50 extend. The trays to be elevated are carried to the elevator by chains 50, these chains being provided at intervals with lugs 51 which are adapted to hold trays in position upon the moving chains. Horizontal tracks 52 may also be provided over which the upper levels of chains 56 extend. Each tray, positioned immediately in front of a pair of lugs 51 is moved over tracks 52 into position to be elevated at the moment when roller 46 rides into depression 40 of disc 38 to start eccentries S into operation. The lowest set of supporting` lugs 13 immediatelyT below the bottoni surface of the tray, thereupon rise into engagement with the bottom of the tray at opposite edges of the same whereupon the tray is lifted, as stated, to a point slightly above the lowest horizontally aligned set of supporting lugs 17 which are wiped to one side as the tray rises past the same and then immediately moved back into support position beneath the tray, the tray being guided during its upward movement by guides 27. lVhen the next tray is brought into position to be elevated the tra-y previously lifted up to the lowest supporting lugs 17 will be lifted by the lifting lugs 13 of the set next above the lowest, up to the next higher supporting lug 17, the lifting lugs just referred to wiping past a tray immediately below the same as they descend to their lower or normal positiens, from which they ascend on the next operation to lift the tray past which they have descended to the next higher step of supporting lugs 17 ln this manner one tray or a plurality of trays at the same time may be rapidly raised to the uppermost supporting lugs 17.

A shaft 53 above shaft 39 is rotated from the latter through a gear and pinion 54, 55. A sprocket chain 56 is adaptedy to rotate about a sprocket wheel 57 on shaft 53 and about a sprocket wheel 58 mounted on a shaft 59 carried by a bracket 6() at the upper end of frame members 1. Horizontally movable sprocket chains 61 extend around sprocket wheels 62 on shaft 59 and sprocket wheels 63 on a shaft 64 carried by a suitable bracket from frame members 2. An adjusting screw or screws 65 are illustrated for properly positioning the shaft 64 to keep the chains 61 in proper tension.

Alternate ones of the supporting lugs 17, in vertical alignment, may be mounted on opposite sides of rods 16 as shown. The uppermost supporting lugs 17 at each side of the elevator are preferably connected together by bars 66 so as to retain support of the tray in the uppermost position.

Tracks 67 are provided in horizontal alignment with the position occupied by a tray at the top of the elevator. The chains 61 are provided with lugs 68, one of which will contact against the left hand edge of the tray, referring to F ig. 1, to carry the same off of the uppermost supporting lugs and on to the tracks 67. Suitable means may be provided for carrying each tray as it arrives on track 67 to a desired point such, for example, as into a drying apparatus. Such conveying means may be provided by live rolls indicated at 69 and suitably geared or driven to rotate in a right-handed direction,

Areferring to Fig. 1, to carry the trays away from the elevator.

It will be noted that the apparatus disclosed may be used for stacking trays or pans, or the like, at the top of the elevating apparatus, without automatically carrying the same away one by one. If it should be desired to stack such objects they would be carried to the foot of the elevator in the manner described, or otherwise positioned one at a time at the foot of the elevator whereupon they would be carried to the top of the elevator in the manner already described and stacked one upon the other upon the topmost supporting lugs 17 and crossmembers 66, the horizontal chains 61 and their coacting parts not being used or operated in this case.

Fig. 4 is a partial detailed view showing a series of trays 70 being elevated by the apparatus described. In this view the bars 6 are understood to be rising so that all of the trays are being carried upwardly by lugs 13. The trays are just about to pass above the toes of the supporting lugs 17 near the top of the upward movement of the rods 6, and therefore, the lugs 17 are being wiped to one side by engagement of the edges of the trays with the inclined surfaces 20 formed on the inner edges of the toes of lugs 17.

lt should be understood that our invention is not limited strictly to the details of construction described but is as broad as is indicated by the accompanying claims.

That we claim is 1. In an elevating device, the combination of vertical series of supporting members,

lifting means adapted and positioned to rise.

next above, and means for raising and lowering said lifting means periodically, with intervals of rest between each complete upwardv and downward movement thereof. Y

2. ln an elevating device, the combinationV of vertical series of supporting members,

lifting means adapted and positioned to riser from and descend to normal positions and,

in rising, to litt articles on any of said supporting members to positions in which they are supported by the supporting members neit above, rotary means so arranged that one complete revolution thereof will raise and lower saidv lifting means, al continuously rotating member, and means for periodically connecting saidlast named member to said rota-ry means to impart one revolution thereto and then disconnecting the same.

8. In an elevating device, the combination of means for lifting articles from a lower to an upper level, continuously moving mea-ns for carrying articles'in succession to said lifting` means, and means for starting said lifting means from a` state of rest into operation when `each article is in position to be lifted.

4t. In an elevating device, the combination of means for lifting articles from a lower to an upper level, an endless carrier for carrying articles in succession to said lifting means, said4 carrier having s laces thereon on which such articles are adapted to be mounted, means for moving said carrier continuously, means, controlled by said last named means,- foimstartingsaid. lifting means into.

operation as each such space comes into po-v sition for an articlethereon to be lifted, and continuously moving means arranged vto carry articles away from said upper level to Vwhieh they are moved by said lifting means.

5. ln an elevating device, the combination of vert-ical series of supporting` .members,y

' carrying means.

6. ln an elevating device,-the combination of vertical series of supporting members, lifting meansadapted to vertically reciprocate, to lift articles on any supporting means to .positions on the supporting means next above, said liftingmeans comprising vertical hars havinglvertical series of lifting lugs thereon, means for raising said bars from and lowering them to a normal position, a sourceofpower, and means for periodically coupling said raising and lowering means to saidsource of power and uncoupling the same after said lifting l means have been given one reciprocation, each time.

This specification signed and witnessed this 20th day of August, 1920.

FREDERICK BEER-S. HUVVARD L. POWELL. lVitness:

il'. MJ SUNDHEIM. 

